The Waiting Father: Sermons on the Parables of Jesus

A collection of sermons offering deep insights into the spiritual message of Jesus's fifteen major parables by Helmut Thielicke, the great German preacher and theologian. These were originally preached in Michaelskirche, Hamburg, in the mid-1950s. Thielicke approaches the parables in novel ways. In treating the prodigal son, for instance, he concentrates more on the loving father than the rebellious son, emphasizing the centrality of forgiveness. Similarly on the Pharisee and the publican, he shows that the publican is guilty of spiritual pride and arrogance, drawing attention to the dangers for the faithful. Both among expositions of the parables and among books for preachers, 'The Waiting Father' stands in a class of its own. Great scholars are usually poor preachers, and great scholars are rarely good preachers, but Thielicke manages to combine distinguished scholarship with fine preaching.